Existing scanners such as computed tomography (CT), positron emission tomography (PET), single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), magnetic resonance (MR), X-ray, and interventional scanners (such as Siemens Artis Zeego for Fluoroscopy) require a technician to operate the scanner in order to obtain high quality medical images. However, both the patient's experience as well as the quality of the images taken significantly varies from one facility to another based on his/her interaction with the operator as well as the prior experience of the operator with the scanner and its operations. The quality of patient experience from the patient's perspective is personal and subjective. For example, a young patient may look for efficiency while an older patient may look for greater care and slower step-by-step instructions at appropriate pace.
The present disclosure provides a method of training learning-based medical scanners to operate independently with standard protocol as well as ability to interact with the patient and guide him/her through the scanning process. Among other things, this would also allow the scanner to optimize its process to obtain the highest quality scan images, while making sure that the appropriate scanning guidelines are observed. The method can also be applied to interventional scans where the scanners are trained to avoid obstacles and move to the appropriate body region above the patient without interfering with the medical professionals unless necessary.
After deployment at a medical facility such as a hospital, the scanner would have the ability to adapt its interaction with the patients by observing other technicians' interaction during its initial use—the scanner will learn from the patient experiences rated as acceptable by the patient as well as avoiding interactions which are rated unfavorable/unpleasant. Over time, the scanner will learn to scan patients given the patient information, scan region and purpose of the scan. Although not necessary after the adaptation process, a healthcare professional may still assist the patient through the scanning process to provide additional comfort and cover contingencies that cannot be covered by the scanner (for example, additional support to the patient if patient feels dizzy or unwell before getting on the scanner).